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[1R01] New Social Inclusive Functions of Monasteries:
Buddhism and Well-being in the Kingdom of Bhutan
Keywords:Social Inclusive, Well-being, Social welfare, Buddhism, Bhutan
This study examines the tendency of the Bhutanese monasteries to approach the local community in recent years from the perspective of both monastic education and social welfare. The purpose of this research is to clarify the function that monasteries play in the community and the new relationship with the local community. This study visited six monasteries and nunneries in Bhutan in March 2003 and conducted semi-structured interviews in three areas. the introduction of modern school education, the social welfare function of monasteries in the local community, and the movement of individuals between the Buddhist world and the secular world.
The result of the survey shows that the monasteries are actively participating in the rapidly modernizing Bhutanese society and trying to survive economically and socially. At the same time, the findings suggest that monasteries, by taking on a new role of social inclusion (Sakurai 2013) in the local community, embody a Buddhist-based social education model unique to Bhutan that enables the coexistence of tradition and modernity. Some recent trends have been clarified. First, by introducing English education and modern school education into monastery education, they train resources to adapt to modern, English-speaking society, and, on the other hand, by taking in school dropouts, they supplement formal education. Monasteries can be said to function as a gray zone (Sugimoto 2014) between traditional education and modern education. Second, in Bhutan, where the social welfare policy is underdeveloped, monasteries take on orphans, children from abusive families, and the elderly with no relatives and play a part as a safety net in the social welfare of the local community.
Many Bhutanese still cannot keep up with the rapid modernization, both mentally and economically. Monasteries are playing a new role in social inclusion (Sakurai 2013) in the rapidly changing Bhutanese society.
The result of the survey shows that the monasteries are actively participating in the rapidly modernizing Bhutanese society and trying to survive economically and socially. At the same time, the findings suggest that monasteries, by taking on a new role of social inclusion (Sakurai 2013) in the local community, embody a Buddhist-based social education model unique to Bhutan that enables the coexistence of tradition and modernity. Some recent trends have been clarified. First, by introducing English education and modern school education into monastery education, they train resources to adapt to modern, English-speaking society, and, on the other hand, by taking in school dropouts, they supplement formal education. Monasteries can be said to function as a gray zone (Sugimoto 2014) between traditional education and modern education. Second, in Bhutan, where the social welfare policy is underdeveloped, monasteries take on orphans, children from abusive families, and the elderly with no relatives and play a part as a safety net in the social welfare of the local community.
Many Bhutanese still cannot keep up with the rapid modernization, both mentally and economically. Monasteries are playing a new role in social inclusion (Sakurai 2013) in the rapidly changing Bhutanese society.
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